When you’re preparing Sri Lankan food, there are a number of utensils that you absolutely need to ensure the best possible results. While it’s always possible to prepare Sri Lankan inspired meals with standard kitchen equipment, when you buy the right tools for the job, you’ll achieve the very best outcome.
Here, we take a closer look at the key items you should invest in for your Sri Lankan kitchen. Before you get started, remember that you should protect your clothing from spills and stains by wearing an appropriate apron or chef’s jacket, and cover your hair to ensure that none goes in the food. You can review the full range of high-quality clothing that’s ideal for your kitchen at ChefWorks.com.
Once you’re dressed to cook, you need to know which equipment to buy, and here’s our expert guide to the top items to invest in.
Clay Cooking Pots
A clay pot called a chatty is used to cook curries. Made from red clay and featuring a lid, it is the traditional way to prepare delicious Sri Lankan meals. The pots are made on the potter’s wheel then dried in the sun or fired in the kiln so that they become hard enough to use.
A Nambiliya
This special bowl is made from clay and is used for cleaning rice – separating the grains from the little stones and chaff. This bowl is carved with grooves or lines on the inside to catch the stones when the race and water were put into it.
A Grinding Stone
A miris gala or grinding stone is made from two pieces of heavy, thick granite. The bottom piece is flat while the top one is cylindrical and is used for crushing chilies or other ingredients.
A Pestle And Mortar
A pestle and mortar are essential for crushing ingredients such as garlic, cumin and ginger to make curry. The ingredients are simply put into the mortar before the pestle is used for crushing the spices. You can choose from a small version which is made from wood and which is small enough to keep on a countertop, or a large version which is made from stone and which has a large wooden pestle. This is so large it must be kept on the floor.
A Wok
A wok is a frying pan in the shape of a bowl that is used for deep frying sweetmeats like kokis and kevum. Similar in style to the wok used for preparing Chinese food, these woks are sometimes called thatthchiya or hopper pans. You should certainly have one in your kitchen for preparing authentic fried food.
While these utensils aren’t usually seen in the western kitchen, they’re an excellent additional touch if you’re ready to prepare Sri Lankan food at home. Many of these tools are still used today by Sri Lankan cooks and chefs in their own homes and in professional restaurants where this equipment gives the cuisine its unique and delicious flavor.
